Marketplace Solutions Blog

Insights to protect and control your brand on online marketplaces.

May 14, 2020

New White Paper: Patent Strategies to Help Stop Bad Actors on Amazon

As bad actors increasingly market copycat and competitive products on Amazon and other online marketplaces, manufacturers should consider using their patent portfolio as another tool to defend their brand and control online sales. Vorys eControl and the intellectual property team at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease co-authored a new whitepaper – Patent Strategies to Help Stop Bad Actors on Amazon – that focuses specifically on the patent enforcement mechanisms available through Amazon.

Using patents to protect your brand on Amazon is not right for every circumstance. Its best application is when a product being marketed on Amazon looks or functions like your product and falls within the scope of your patent claims, but is not necessarily being used with your brand’s trademarks and is not a grey market product.

The ways brands can assert their patent portfolios on Amazon are distinct and come with specific advantages and disadvantages. This white paper dives into each, and explains the best application given various factors.